, This portrays Robert Louis Stevenson pondering as he paces back and forth in the living room. His wife sits languidly on a leather sofa clad in jewelry and large shawl with vibrant colors and designs. I connect this painting to an image i remember from The Great Gatsby, when Nick goes to his friend Tom Buchannon's house and watches as Tom goes back and forth gettin alcoholic beverages, while Daisy and Jordan Baker lie on the couch inactive for most of the day. This is the life of the affluent and anxious in the Roaring 20s. People obsessed over the notion that it was possible to buy yourself a carefree life. But most people who felt that way ended up feeling unhappy and unmotivated to give back to society. To Next Page